The current study investigates the dissipation kinetics of two imidacloprid (IMI) nanoformulations (entitled: Nano-IMI and Nano-IMI/TiO2) on common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) seeds under field conditions and compares them with 35% Suspension Concentrate (SC) commercial formulation. To do so, it sprays P. vulgaris plants at 30 and 60 g/ha within green bean stage, sampling them during the 14-day period after the treatment. Following extraction and quantification of IMI residues, dissipation data have been fitted to simple-first order kinetic model (SFOK) and to first-order double-exponential decay (FODED) models, with 50% and 90% dissipation times (DT50 and DT90, respectively) assessed along the pre-harvest interval (PHI). With the exception of Nano-IMI at 60 g/ha, other decline curves are best fitted to the FODED model. In general, dissipation is faster for Nano-IMI (at 30 g/ha: DT50 = 1.09 days, DT90 = 4.30 days, PHI = 1.23 days; at 60 g/ha: DT50 = 1.29 days, DT90 = 4.29 days, PHI = 2.95 days) and Nano-IMI/TiO2 (at 30 g/ha: DT50 = 1.15 days, DT90 = 4.40 days, PHI = 1.08 days; at 60 g/ha: DT50 = 0.86 days, DT90 = 4.92 days, PHI = 3.02 days), compared to 35% SC (at 30 g/ha: DT50 = 1.58, DT90 = 6.45, PHI = 1.93; at 60 g/ha: DT50 = 1.58 days, DT90 = 14.50 days, PHI = 5.37 days). These results suggest the suitability of Nano-IMI and Nano-IMI/TiO2 application at both rates in terms of their residues on P. vulgaris seeds.

The present work solves two-dimensional Advection-Dispersion Equation (ADE) in a semi-infinite domain. A variable source concentration is regarded as the monotonic decreasing function at the source boundary (x=0). Depth-dependent variables are considered to incorporate real life situations in this modeling study, with zero flux condition assumed to occur at the exit boundary of the domain, i.e. its semi-infinite part. Without losing any generality, one can consider that the aquifer is initially contamination-free. Thus, the current study explores variations of two-dimensional contaminant concentration with depth throughout the domain, showing them graphically. Non-point source problem, i.e. the line source problem, can be discussed by solving two-dimensional depth-dependent variable source problem, as x=0 is a 2D line. A new transformation has been used to transform the time-dependent ADE to one with constant coefficients, with Matlab (pdetool) being employed in order to solve the problem, numerically, using finite element method.

This study has used TOMS AI as well as the reanalysis dataset of thirty-four years (1979-2012) to investigate the influence of atmospheric circulation on dust transport during the Harmattan period in West Africa, using Aerosol Index (AI) data, obtained from various satellite sensors. Changes in Inter-Tropical Discontinuity (ITD), Sea Surface Temperature (SST) over the Gulf of Guinea, and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) during Harmattan period (November-March) have been analyzed on daily basis with Harmattan dust mobilization as well as atmospheric circulation pattern being evaluated via a kernel density estimate that shows the relation between the two variables. The study has found out that strong north-easterly (NE) trade winds were over most of the Sahelian region of West Africa during the winter months with the maximum wind speed reaching 8.61 m/s in January. The strength of NE winds determines the extent of dust transport to the coast of Gulf of Guinea during winter. This study has also confirmed that the occurrence of the Harmattan chiefly depends on SST in Atlantic Ocean as well as ITD position, not to mention the strength of low level winds. However, it has been noted that NAO has limited effects on dust mobilization in West Africa, in shear contrast to North Africa where NAO is a strong factor in dust mobilization.

The aquatic fern Azolla, a small-leaf floating plant that lives in symbiosis with a nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria (Anabaena), is an outstanding plant, thanks to its high biomass productivity along with its tremendous rate per unit area for nitrogen-fixation.  The present study investigates the potential growth of Azolla in secondary effluents for removal of COD, phosphorus, and nitrogen. Results have shown that N and P removal at 100 ppm of each component in separate medium turned out to be 36% and 44%, respectively, whereas in case of a mixed solution of these two compounds, N and P removal declined to 33% and 40.5%, respectively. Moreover, results have suggested that in the presence of phosphorus nitrogen absorption decreased. Furthermore, Azolla has revealed a high potential of COD removal by 98.8% in 28 days. Finally, Azolla may be one of the most promising agents to remove COD and treat nitrogen-free and phosphorus-rich wastewaters.

The rising global demand for palm oil and its associated products has led to increased numbers of palm oil refineries with its attendant effluent discharge. Many researches have confirmed the ecological disruptive potentiality of Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME), still further attention has to be directed at POME’s potential genotoxicity. The present study has made physico-chemical and genotoxicity assessments of POME from a corporate refinery in Nigeria, using the American Public Health Association (APHA) procedures along with Allium cepa root assay. Allium cepa roots were grown in graduated concentrations of POME and the roots were analyzed for chromosomal aberrations. Results suggest that POME caused growth inhibitions and chromosomal aberrations in A. cepa roots. with mitotic index of A. cepa roots dropping as POME concentrations were increased. The chromosomal aberrations induced in A. cepa were vagrant, sticky chromosomes, bi-nucleated cells, and C-mitosis. These results indicate that palm oil mill effluent is not only capable of causing ecological disruptions in the receiving environment, but is also potentially genotoxic to resident organisms. It is recommended that if effluents from palm oil mill refineries cannot be converted to other useful products and ought to be disposed of, it should first be properly treated and tested for genotoxicity.

The present work investigates nitrate and phosphate removal from synthetic treated slaughterhouse wastewater in a novel open raceway pond with sedimentation zone. For this purpose, microalgae Chlorella salina has been cultivated in synthetic wastewater and sedimentation zone has been added to enhance both algae separation in the system and nutrient removal. The effectiveness of Chlorella salina to treat nitrate and phosphate has been tested in open raceway ponds with harvest system. It has been found that Biomass concentration of the Chlorella salina is 1.35 g/L during 11 days of experiment. Also, maximum specific growth rate of the species in the pond has been 0.74 day-1. Throughout the cultivation period, nitrate and phosphate have been analyzed to show that their average removal efficiencies were 100% and 45%, respectively. It can be concluded that the growth of Chlorella salina in novel open pond system is an effective way to reduce nitrate and phosphate levels in slaughterhouse synthetic wastewater. Also, wastewater is suitable for algal growth.

Lipases have many applications in biotechnology, thanks to their ability of acylglycerides hydrolysis. They alsp possess the unique feature of acting at the lipid-water interface, which distinguishes them from esterases. Commercially useful lipases are produced by microorganisms with the extracellular lipase being produced by many bacteria including Pseudomonas. The greatest production of lipase takes place under optimum conditions such as appropriate temperature, suitable carbon, nitrogen sources, etc. This study tries to collect lipase-producing bacteria from the soil of oil-extraction factories and identify isolated bacteria, while creating optimum conditions for lipase production by bacteria. Having collected three soil samples from an oil extraction factory, lipase-producing bacteria have been identified, based on biochemical and morphological tests. Finally the optimal conditions for lipase production as well as molecular analysis has been evaluated. During the study, among the different bacteria, the strain to produce highest lipase has been selected. It has been found out that the optimal conditions for lipase production by this strain is as follows: 48 hours of incubation; incubation temperature of 37 °C; pH of 7; agitation speed of 150 rpm; peptone extract as the nitrogen source; and olive oil as a carbon source. A lipase-producing bacterium has been identified based on morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics as well as 16S rRNA analysis, identified as Pseudomonas spp.

The current paper determines heavy metals in sediments of six freshwater wetlands of greater Dhaka district from November 1999 to September 2000. The sampling took place in summer, rainy season, and winter, wherein for each season five soil samples were collected from the wetland at a depth of 0 – 15 cm. To assess the status of heavy metal pollution in the sediments, geo-accumulation factor (Igeo), contamination factor (CF), degree of contamination (Cd), and enrichment factor (EF) have been evaluated, with the concentrations of Cd, Mn, Ni, Zn, Cu, Fe, and Pb in the sediments ranging within 0.005 – 0.055 mg/kg, 35.0 – 275.04 mg/kg, 0.35 – 2.19 mg/kg, 0.77 – 12.54 mg/kg, 4.11 – 19.17 mg/kg, 115.60 – 955.94 mg/kg, and 1.82 – 3.93 mg/kg, respectively, standing in the following order: Fe > Mn > Cu > Zn > Pb > Ni > Cd. The maximum concentrations of Mn, Ni, and Pb belonged  to summer. Significant temporal variation was observed only in case of Cd, whereas concentrations of Cd, Fe, and Mn varied spatially. The Igeo for Mn indicates a strongly to extremely polluted condition in wetlands, whereas that of Ni and Pb show moderately polluted condition, and for Zn and Cu, it suggests moderately to strongly polluted conditions. The CF values for heavy metals in sediment have been below 1, indicating low contamination. In addition, Cd < 6 indicates low degree of heavy metal contamination. The EF for heavy metals in wetland sediments are in the following order: Cu>Mn>Pb>Cd>Zn>Ni, suggesting that the sediments very highly rich in Cu, while Mn, Pb, and Cd exhibit significant enrichment. In the studied wetlands the EF for Zn and Ni shows moderate and deficiency to minimal enrichment, respectively. Implications of these findings can be used as baseline information to monitor and assess the degree of sediment pollution in lentic wetlands.

Agricultural intensification is associated with the use of great amounts of agrochemicals that may result in the accumulation of metals in soils, and –subsequently—agricultural products and food chain. Nowadays, this is a major concern for many Iranian agricultural products, necessitating scientific researches on the issue. Therefore, the present study has been conducted to evaluate the level of metal contamination in some agricultural products of Torbat-e Jam, Iran, with the following purposes: (i) to determine concentrations of cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), and lead (Pb) in melon (Cucumis melo var. inodorus), sugar beet (Beta vulgaris), and maize (Zea mays) as well as water and soils of some farms in Torbat-e Jam, Iran; and (ii) to examine chemical fertilizers as a possible source of heavy metals' contamination. To do so it has taken some samples from soils, irrigation waters, chemical fertilizers, and crops, measuring their heavy metals contents by means of atomic absorption spectrometry. Results show that heavy metals' concentrations in groundwater and soil were lower than the adopted global standards. Among fertilizers, only Cd content of triple-superphosphate was higher than the standards, leading to a substantial buildup of Cd in the soil, compared to Pb. The greater use of potassium fertilizer has increased Pb concentration in the soil samples of maize farms during the growing season. Among all elements, Pb had the greatest transfer coefficient. It seems that current farm management practices as well as excessive use of chemical fertilizers may further the contamination and loss of soil quality in agricultural systems of the region.

River Ganga is one of the prime sacred National Rivers of India, closely associated with economic, social, and cultural heritage of Indian people. Recently, it has been subjected to immense degradation and pollution as a result of receiving huge amounts of domestic and industrial wastewater as well as religious ritual activities and surface runoff. The present study attempts to study spatial and temporal changes in water quality of River Ganga while calculating its Water Quality Index (WQI) by analyzing 9 physico-chemical, 7 trace metal, and 4 microbiological parameters at eleven sampling stations, on the basis of River Ganga index of Ved Prakash. Thus it can assess water’s suitability for drinking and irrigation purposes along with other human uses. The study is directed towards the use of WQI to describe pollution level in the river for a period of 1 year (from January to December 2014). It has been shown that index values as per CPCB class range between medium to good, while the ones as per NSF Index range from bad to good water quality. The study also identifies critical pollutants, affecting the river water quality within its course through the city. Finally, pH, DO, BOD, DO, EC, and FC have been found to be critical parameters for the stretch in each season of this research.